2014
has been a tough one for me especially the 1st two quarters of the
year. I've been in between jobs for the last one and a half years, holding my
faith that I could live and support myself and eventually my family when I
decided to quit from my previous job to pursue the thing I want to do. My family, although they support me, was not
really happy with my decision and kept on reminding me that I should have a
stable job. But I still went on and chased my dream. So, I helped myself by starting
a home-based business.
I went through roller coaster kind of
emotions within that period. I came to the point where I was in doubt and kept
on asking myself, “What am I doing?”, “Is it really the right thing to do?”, “Could
I really make it without being employed?” and the like. Those questions frightened
me but somehow being at that point of my life taught me some significant things
which helped change my mindset to become more focused and positive in the
coming years.
1. It
is better to try than not to do it at all.
Deciding to quit from a job that offers the
comfort and stability of what a regular work can give (regular working hours,
weekend offs, monthly salary) took me a lot of guts and self convincing. I was
standing at the edge of the cliff ready to take off though I know for a fact
that my wings weren't well prepared but my heart and the desire to start doing.
So, I jumped off to the unknown and followed the direction of my dream. I didn't let fear block my way of reaching the things that I once thought were
unreachable. I learned that if you want something, you should act on it. Don’t
be afraid to take risks of putting things into action. In the end you’ll thank
yourself for trying and not giving up.
2. Know
when to spend and when to splurge.
I’m a self-confessed impulsive buyer.
I used to shop at a cosmetic store where I only intended to buy one item
amounting about 300.00 but I walked out of that particular shop spending more
than 2k. Mind you, it happened not just once. Happiness was gone when I
realized that I spent my money into some spur-of-the-moment-buying. What did I
get? Nothing. I’m satisfied but guilt took
over when the urge to buy subsided.
I
can say that the time when I had my start up taught me to become wiser with my
finances. I learned to allocate what I have left in my bank account. I made
sure that my cash flows even it wasn't that much. And every time I buy
something I always ask myself, “Is this a want? Or a need?”, somehow I’m able
to resist the temptation.
You
can sometimes splurge for a thing or two (nothing’s wrong with that!) but I
guess it is important that you become aware of your expenditures. Monitor your
cash in and cash out. Save and Invest! I learned that every cent is important,
yes, and I came to realize that money is really a need but never ever allow it
to run your life. Spend it wisely!
3. You
find yourself during tough times.
When
I set my eyes to what I had in mind, I know that it would be a bumpy ride and sure
that I was going to travel it alone. Most people talked like what I was trying
to do is impossible. Not practical. I couldn't defend myself by my words. All I
did was to prove them that nothing is impossible when you have a goal. I
believed in me. I believed in what I can do and was able to know myself more.
It built my strengths and turned my weakness into a weapon that I never thought
I could use as my guard.
4. Some
things don’t go as planned.
Yes. You never really know what’s on
the other side of the rainbow. A pot of gold? You bet! No one’s in control of life
and it can be a lot tricky. You never know what will happen next. I jumped to
the unknown carrying the vision of the future I wanted to create. Though I
followed that way, there were unexpected turns to where I landed. I didn't want
to go back. So, I chose to continue walking to the unfamiliar route.
And it
all made sense now. Sometimes you just have to do what your heart doesn't want
to for you to tell what you really want.
5. There
is a time for everything!
My experience made me reflect that
there is really a time for everything. God will give the thing that you've been
praying for when the time is perfect. I may not be where I wanted to be right
now but I know that my feet won’t stop running until I get there. And I will
get there. My heart is still burning with that desire to put my dreams into
reality.
Life is teaching us to be patient.
There will come a phase when you will feel stagnant, like nothing’s happening
right. Maybe it is intended to happen to help you grow and mold you to be the
stronger version of yourself.
These lessons in the past year made me see the beauty behind every struggles, the joy that comes with waiting and the reasons for the not now's and never's. And these will surely serve as my guide to stay on track this 2015. Cheers to a great year ahead!
Raquel Rodriguez a.k.a. Destiny studied BSN at Our Lady of Fatima University. She is currently working as an accounting staff at Borland Development Corporation. She’s kind of timid but always wants to explore. She believes that she was made up of sugar, spice and a dash of weirdness. A dream chaser, a volunteer, a pastry chef wannabe and a little bit of this and that. She writes her heart out and shares the moments of her deep thoughts and the aches of her silence.
No comments:
Post a Comment